April 14, 2006

College Park, Md. - A pair of Maryland men's lacrosse seniors, Xander Ritz and Joe Walters, are among 23 players on the 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy nominee list announced by the Tewaaraton Award Foundation today. The 23 nominees will be trimmed to five finalists for the award, which will be presented on June 1.

Ritz, a midseason addition to the trophy "Watch List," is enjoying his finest season playing both midfield and attack for the seventh-ranked Terps. The Wayne, Pa., native, is leading the squad with 21 goals in nine games and is second on the team in overall points with 28. Ritz is also tops on the team with seven man-up goals this season to lead the Terrapin, who are first in the NCAA with a 58.6 extra-man conversion percentage.

Walters makes the cut for the highest individual honor in college lacrosse for the third straight season. The Rochester, N.Y., native, leads Maryland in points and assists with 32 and 13, respectively, and is second in goals scored with 19. The three-time All-American is within reach of two of Maryland's all-time scoring records. He currently has 136 goals and needs just 14 more to pass Matt Hahn for the career goals scored mark. Walters is also closing in on Bob Boneillo's career points record of 219. The senior attackman needs just one more point to become just the fourth Terp to reach the 200-point plateau in the 81-year history of Maryland lacrosse and is 21 points away from passing Boniello.

Both Ritz and Walters are riding impressive point-scoring streaks. Walters has scored at least one point in each of his last 42 games, while Ritz's streak is currently at 26 games. Walters has scored a point in 57 of his 58 games as a Terrapin.

Junior goalie Harry Alford and senior midfielder Bill McGlone were on the preseason "Watch List" but were not selected to the 2006 nominee list.

The Tewaaraton Trophy is awarded each year to the top male and female varsity lacrosse player, as chosen by the selection committee. The sixth annual award will be given at a banquet on Thursday, June 1. The event will take place in Washington D.C. at the National Geographic Society headquarters.